Fertile Minds | Graphic Design and Web Development

Three things I know

Dusty — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:19:08 +0000

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos’ tells everything he knows:

1. Obsess over customers: when given the choice between obsessing over competitors or customers, always obsess over customers. Start with customers and work backward.

2. Invent: you can invent your way out of any box if you believe you can. Invent on behalf of your customers -it’s not a customer’s job to invent on to themselves. Listen to customers but know they can’t tell you everything.

3. Think long term: any company that wants to focus on customers has to be willing to think long term. Many initiatives may take 5-7 years to pan out for a company. Thinking long term allows you to be misunderstood. Most inventions take a while to be appreciated.

John Wooden TED Talk

Dusty — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:02:01 +0000

Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden talks about how to succeed with dignity by learning from others and performing to the best of your abilities.

For those interested, here’s the Pyramid of Success he developed that he mentions in his talk.

Programming, design and business tips

Dusty — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:53:34 +0000

Particletree, from the creators of Wufoo, a fantastic online form service. Lots of interesting articles, ranging from Seven Pillars of Pretty Code, to the 4 1/2 Day Workweek.

More musical inspiration

Dusty — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:42:21 +0000

Senegal Fast Food, from Amadou & Miriam’s incredible Manu Chao produced album Dimanche à Bamako. Their story is incredible, and from the first single, so is their new album.

Platinum CJ email marketing

Dusty — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:39:15 +0000

Email marketing campaign to introduce Platinum CJ, a new complete equine supplement from Platinum Performance.

Javascript and screen readers

Dusty — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:43:11 +0000

A good explanation of how screen readers function, along with methods for making pages more accessible when using ...

Phoenix Catering logo refinement

Dusty — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:15:59 +0000

Logo cleanup and type refinement. Part of a campaign to raise the quality of all marketing materials, including website and advertising. Original logo here.

Jan Marx campaign graphics

Dusty — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:57:33 +0000

Complete identity package for Jan’s city council campaign, including signs, stationery, campaign signs, donation materials and website. We collaborated with the talented folks at Gaia Graphics on this one.

Electric Miles

Dusty — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:22:36 +0000

From Miles Davis’ wild electric phase… not light listening, but there’s nothing better for breaking through creativity blocks.

Singapore F1 Photos

Dusty — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:20:47 +0000

Great nighttime shots on one of my favorite new blogs. I know very little about Singapore, but watching this event intrigued me. The mix of colonial and contemporary architecture is striking.